NOCTILUCA Feb. 2016

AREYOUAWARE? Appleton, Wisconsin February 2016 Vol. XXI

Issue I

Page 8

Appleton North’s Improvedy reaches new heights

By Jacob Zajkowski

done in a while.

A rookie to the Improvedy scene, sophomore Sam Strat- ton is experiencing his first year of the antics of the troupe. Stratton’s love of comedy drew him to the shows and eventually the club. “I feel like we’re a really close group of friends that love to do funny stuff on stage and make each other, and people watching, laugh until their sides ache.” To Stratton, Improvedy is a great way to express himself and show who he is. “It’s also a great way to try out new puns,” he added. When asked about rehearsal, Stratton said: “We play improv games to help get better at maintaining a good stage presence, coming up with things on the spot... and other stuff that helps us be funny when we are in front

Are you aware of the most side-splitting club at Appleton North? Improvedy, the local improv troupe, has been going on for almost sixteen years, and the laughs just keep com- ing. Improvedy is a comedy troupe that performs based on skits and games that are changed and suggested by the crowd. Improvedy is the only improv group in Appleton run by a high school, according to the Appleton North The- atre webpage. This group of nine even leads workshops at businesses and performs for parties. The improv group consists of Appleton North stu- dents ranging from freshmen to seniors, featuring students such as Emma Knutson, Jack Russell, Sam Stratton, Claire Riebau, Brett Peters, Timo- thy Rausch. Ben Wylie, Saul Roselaar, and Alyssa Gruen- der. Emma Knutson, a junior this year and one of only two girls in the troupe, has been in Improvedy for two years. In an interview with Knutson, she was asked why she decided to Are you aware that writ- ers recently embarked on NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month in November? NaNoWriMo is a non-profit organization that supplies schools around the world with classroom kits and other things needed for a successful education, all at no cost to the schools. During November, countless writers worldwide write stories of 50,000 words for NaNoW- riMo. Participants can get support from locals in their community and meet new people, and they even get pep talks from published authors! Story genres range from realistic fiction to fantasy, and everything in between. Participants of NaNoWriMo also look forward to the “Night of Writing Danger- ously”, a writing marathon in San Francisco at the Julia Morgan Ballroom. Hundreds of writers congregate here to get ahead in their novels and talk with their peers. This international event has many participants in our own community. According to nanowrimo.com, the Fox Cit- ies wrote almost one million words in five days this year! By Jacob Zajkowski

Appleton North’s Improvedy Troupe features new and returning members for the 2015-2016 school year. Their next show is on Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $5 at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m. Photo from Appleton North Theatre

audition and join Improvedy: “I thought they were cool, and I liked their show.” Despite how fun it looked, she knew the commitment she needed to make to be a part of the troupe. Improvedy members meet weekly to rehearse, creating suggestions of ideas they think people will suggest during their performances. During the shows, Im- provedy members explain the rules for certain games and skits and then create scenes based off of suggestions from the audience. “My favorite thing is probably getting to be

with all of the other Improvedy members as a team,” Knutson said. One expectation Knutson doesn’t like is the assump- tion that she is funny all of the time. Another two-time member of Improvedy, senior Jack Rus- sell describes his experiences with Improvedy. “I’d seen the shows a lot during middle school and thought they were interesting,” said Russell when asked why he joined. Having tried out as a freshman and sophomore, Russell finally joined Improvedy in his junior year at North.

Russell defines Improvedy as, “being in a room of clowns, and you can’t leave until you’ve told a joke.” Russell enjoys experimenting with what’s funny on stage: “It’s incredibly rewarding to be funny, but even more so from failing big.” His only Improvedy-related pet peeve is the pre-show. He said, “The part I dislike the most is the ten or fifteen minutes before the show...I just want to show people now.” Russell’s favorite part of the troupe is trying out the new games and skits, espe- cially ones that haven’t been Outline October and Editing December if I decide I want to seriously consider getting the book published.” It has become a goal for McDermott to write all fifty thousand words. Another participant is Madeline Clark, and she shares Cecelia’s goals for someday completing a novel. She has been a member of NaNoWriMo for less than a month and was introduced by a friend of hers. Although this is her first year, Clark plans on continu- ing because she thinks it is a fun and engaging experience, and she has more things to write about. Her introduc- tion to NaNoWriMo has not affected her social life, but it has affected how fast she does her homework. Clark has chosen to write a fanfic- tion based on the characters written by Rick Riordan in the Heroes of Olympus; she chose this because she enjoys his writing. When asked about what she wants to gain from NaNoWriMo, Clark said “I just want my writing to get out there and for people to like it.” A sophomore at North named Margaux Pisciotta also

of an audience.” Stratton is exhilarated for the upcoming show on Feb. 13. “The goal is to have fun and make people laugh, which I think is really cool.” Improvedy’s shows are based off of the TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” National Novel Writing Month in November gains new participants

participates in NaNoWriMo. Her novel this year is about two teenage girls and the high school troubles they face. When asked why she chose this she said, “I think it is a very relatable story and is something that a lot of people in high school could connect to.” This is Pisciotta’s second year as a participant; she was introduced by an author, Amy Zhang, that had just gotten her novel published. The author explained that it had started as a NaNoWriMo draft, and Pi- sciotta was immediately taken with the idea. She managed to complete all 50,000 words during her freshman year. Her passion for writing, and the pressure of the time limit, keeps bringing Pisciotta back for another month of writing. Her message to everyone is, “If you’ve ever even thought about writing a novel before but have been too intimidated to do it, try NaNoWriMo...” NaNoWriMo is a way for writers of all ages to share their stories; a place where writers can get support from local peers and make new friends worldwide. Many peo- ple fall into their inner writers during November and share their stories to the world.

Margaux Pisciotta begins writing the first chapter of her realistic fiction novel for National Novel Writing Month 2015. This will be her second novel complet- ed through NaNoWriMo. Photo by Rachel Flom

Writers even walk among the North High population. One of them is Cece- lia McDermott who found NaNoWriMo three years ago via a YouTube video of a participant. Since November is the only time she pursues writing outside of academics, McDermott plans on continu- ing to participate in NaNoW- riMo. Although she partici- pates, school always comes first. McDermott doesn’t even like to start writing if it means she won’t be able to finish her

homework.

This year, she wrote about people who can hear some- one else’s thoughts, and they must find the other person before the voice will go away. She loves to write and would recommend NaNoWriMo to anyone. “As long as you go in with an idea and a little moti- vation, you can achieve what you never thought possible” she said. McDermott hopes to finish a novel someday during NaNoWriMo. “...that probably means an extreme

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